O 18 British CoLuMBIA. Soke 1923 



Upon looking up records, I find barrovianus is not now accepted by the A.O.U. and is not 
in their Check-list of 1910. Mr, Robert Ridgway, in his latest book on ‘“ Birds of North and 
Middle America,” records the bird he describes as L. barrovianus in “The Auk,” July, 1886, as 
a synonym of L. hyperboreus. Ve also lists the bird taken by Allan Brooks at Comox under 
L. hyperboreus, and has dropped barrovianus. 
According to A. ‘C. Bent, in the “‘ Life Histories of North American Gulls and Terns,” page 
60: “ Many years ago Mr. Ridgway (1886) described the glaucous gulls of the coasts of Alaska 
and adjacent waters as a new species under the name Larus barrovianus, the size and shape of 
the bill being the chief distinguishing character. Twenty years later Doctor Dwight (1906) 
argued that this species was untenable, and it was removed from the Check-list. Recently, 
however, Dr. H. C. Oberholser (1918) has resurrected barrovianus, as a subspecies of hyperboreus, 
on the claim that the Alaska bird is smaller and has a darker mantle than the birds from Green- 
land or from Europe. Whether this claim is well founded or not, it is apparently a fact that 
the characters he ascribes to the Alaska bird hold true in a large majority of the specimens, 
though there are some exceptions to the rule. Doctor Dwight, however, still maintains that the 
proposed race is unworthy of recognition in nomenclature.” 
Until some of these disputes are cleared up, as far as I can see this Department will have 
to recognize these birds as the Iceland gull (Larus leucopterus), as they do not come within the 
size of hyperboreas, and I cannot place them elsewhere. 
NOTES ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE WHITE PELICAN (PELECANUS ERYTHRORHYNCHOS). 
Pelicans are not very commonly found in British Columbia, although two species occur. 
A fine specimen of the white pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) was secured by Mr. Jack 
Bessonette at Macaulay Point, Rod Hill, Victoria, and presented to the Museum on October 10th, 
1922. 
A number of these white pelicans have been taken at different times in the Interior of the 
Provinee, but not many on the Coast, although we have had a specimen from Comox. The 
farthest northern record I have on the Coast is the specimen in the Museum taken at Port 
Essington, on the Skeena River. 
Novres ON THE OCCURRENCE OF THE BROWN PELICAN (PELECANUS CALIFORNICUS). 
Several California brown pelicans (Pelecanus californicus) haye been taken in this Province; 
two specimens in the vicinity of Victoria, one near Race Rocks, the other in Esquimalt Harbour, 
and both these specimens are now in the Provincial Museum. ‘The farthest northern record of 
this bird in British Columbia was recorded at Burrard Inlet by the late John Fannin. 
ENTOMOLOGY. 
By E. H. Brackmore, F.E.S. 
The past season has been the most remarkable one from a weather standpoint that we have 
had for over thirty years. With the exception of a few showery days, we practically had no 
rain from April to August, the actual precipitation for the five months being 1.94 inches, most 
of this being in the beginning of April and the end of August. 
The sunshine for the year showed 134 hours above the average annual amount. During the 
five months, April to August, there were 1,425 hours of sunshine, giving an average of 914 hours 
daily. The above figures are for Victoria and vicinity only, although similar conditions prevailed 
throughout the Province, varying according to the locality. 
It is hard to determine exactly what effect this abnormally dry weather had on insect-life 
in general, but the one fact which stood out most clearly was the remarkable scarcity of noctuid 
moths throughout the whole season. Reports from many points in Southern British Columbia 
showed the same state of affairs. In the early spring insects of all kinds were very searce, but 
as the season wore on geometers and micros were more plentiful, although many species which 
are usually common were apparently scarce. 
A much greater interest has been shown in entomology during the past two years, especially 
among the younger collectors, and the Museum collections are in frequent demand for the purposes 
of identification. 


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